When most sports teams find out they have to condition, they moan and groan, but for cross country this is what they are constantly expected to do. On the same note, most teenagers would not find running fun, yet the students participating in cross country all think otherwise.

For these young runners, they view their runs as a mind game rather than a sprint to the finish line.

“Running is as much mental training as physical training. During that second and third miles, when your legs hurt and your breathing gets heavy, you have to remind yourself that even if your mind tells you to stop, your legs can still go further,” sophomore Alyssa Elliot said. 

Elliot just broke the school record that has been held by Sammie Grove since 2007. She ran her three miles in a quick eighteen minutes and ten seconds.

Many would wonder how these runners stay so motivated, and they explain that it is due to their outstanding coaches. 

“The coaches play a big part in motivation for me and I listen to what they say to me during the races or during the practices. I always do my best to complete the task they give me,” junior Dillon Rule said. 

That being said, the team may be extremely motivated and have the mind power to never give up, but running can tend to be extremely boring, which is why most people dislike it. 

“During long runs I talk to teammates or anything else to get my mind off of the actual running,”  Rule said. 

It is nice that a sport that tends to have many people involved at once has a nice social aspect. If anybody is interested in starting to run, for fun or next season, Rule gives some advice for beginners. 

“The hardest part of going for a run is getting out the door, so when I know I need to do a run I try to wake up and get out the door. Once you are out there, you are just going until you cannot run anymore or you reach your goal,” Rule said. 

As the season progresses, there is no doubt in anyone’s mind that these athletes will continue attempting to accomplish their goals, one step at a time.

“Each step I take is closer to the finish line and all my mind is focused on is how fast I can get there,” Elliot said.